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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Iran Displays Wreckage Of Downed U.S., Israeli Aircraft; Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey Sign Mutual Defense Pact; Republican Mike Rogers Appeals To Michigan Democrats; Waiting For Senate To Vote On Confirming Blanche As AG; Russia Hits Back After Ukraine's Strikes On Wildberries; Aired 12-1a ET
Aired August 08, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles.
Coming up, "The Story Is" air power has its limits. Sources say the top U.S. General is privately seeking an off ramp from the war in Iran. Iran showing off images of enemy aircraft it claims it brought down.
"The Story Is" Thailand in mourning after a deadly school shooting. We'll have a live report on the possible motives of the teenage suspect.
And "The Story Is" MVP on and off the court. One of the greatest point guards in NBA history wants to be remembered for his work away from basketball. My exclusive profile of Russell Westbrook coming up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, "The Story Is" with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Welcome to the weekend. It is nine o'clock Friday night in Los Angeles, 07:30 A.M. in Tehran. And we start with a frank and startling assessment by the top U.S. General whose job it is to fight the war with Iran. General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is looking for an off ramp in the conflict as U.S. military options remain limited. Three sources familiar with the matter say that Caine has privately made clear to other Trump cabinet members and top advisers over the last few weeks that the U.S. needs to find that off ramp, because military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire and because air power alone is unlikely to achieve President Trump's stated objectives for the war.
It is highly significant that Trump's most Senior General is privately arguing there is no easy military solution to end the war that the President chose to enter.
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BETH SANNER, FMR. U.S. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We have a crossroads in terms of a decision to make, but I think that it means that the military approach to this war has reached the point of no further progress can be made. And so I call that a -- it's a dead end for this military approach. So we have to figure out how do we switch gears. And I think the primary problem there is that Iran is playing hardball, and they seem to have a higher risk tolerance than we do.
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MICHAELSON: Iran is showing off some of the U.S. and Israeli aircraft it brought down during the nearly six month war. State run media sharing these images of the remnants of a U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jet, several drones, and what appears to be engines of a commando special operations aircraft. The F-15 and the commando wreckage are likely from the only incident where those two types of aircrafts were lost in Iran back in early April.
Meantime, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a NATO style mutual defense pact in Mecca on Friday as the Iran war looms over the whole region. That agreement stipulates that an attack against any of them shall be regarded as an attack on all of them. That pact gives Saudi Arabia a powerful new layer of protection amid doubts over where the U.S. can still be relied upon to protect its allies. And it comes a day after a Saudi official told CNN that the kingdom is bracing for a major coordinated assault by Iran backed militias in Iraq and Yemen.
Joining me now live is Former U.S. Ambassador, Christopher Hill. Mr. Ambassador, welcome back to "The Story Is."
CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Let's start with that CNN reporting that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is looking for an off ramp for the war with Iran. We have literally talked with you about an off ramp on this program. Does an off ramp exist?
HILL: Well, so far, it's been pretty elusive, pretty difficult to find it. But I think what General Caine is saying to the political leadership is, he has done everything he can do from the military perspective. It's clearly not bringing this conflict to an end. We're at the six month mark. And I think he's saying you need to step up the diplomacy. And I think one of the problems with the diplomacy is, it's one thing to be unpredictable, but I think we are becoming unreliable.
And I think some of the messaging to the American people is, at best confusing, and at worst, frankly, rather misleading.
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So I think we've kind of reached a moment where I think this administration needs to do some serious thinking.
MICHAELSON: As Alex discussed this new pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, if one of them is attacked, they all have to respond. Does this mean that Pakistan and Turkey are now a part of the Iran war?
HILL: It's interesting. They're essentially borrowing language from Article 5 of NATO, I guess, to show the gravity of what they're up to. But what's important here to keep in mind is these are all three American allies who want to work with the U.S., but I think they all believe that the U.S. is just not going to be there for them, and it's time to step up some regional effort. So I think it really shows the degree to which the rest of the world is getting worried about how the U.S. manages its interests and its issues out in the world.
And so I think they're saying we need to do something together. They all bring strengths to the table. And I think it's probably one of the more important developments of this war. Of course, we have to see how it develops. We don't know a lot of details about it yet, but I think it's very significant at this point. And you do not see any fingerprints from the U.S. on this.
MICHAELSON: And it is remarkable when we're looking at those pictures of all of those leaders together. That pack coming as Israel expands its military reach across the region. We know that Turkey has the second largest military in NATO behind only the U.S., while Pakistan is the only nuclear armed Muslim nation. Is this all part of Saudi's defense strategy, and how does Israel potentially play into all this?
HILL: Well, I mean, these are three countries with capabilities. They are all Sunni Arab -- Sunni countries, and they all have great concerns about Iran. I think one thing that looks like it's kind of over and being wheeled back in the garage is the idea that we could affect some kind of Saudi-Israeli relationship. President Trump mentioned that a couple of weeks ago, and absolutely nothing has happened. And I would seriously doubt that anything's going to happen when you bring Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and Turkey to the table together.
So I really think the whole is the whole Middle East strategy from the point of view of the U.S. is really kind of back to the drawing board. Militarily, it's not working. They're not engaging the Iranians in a way that would suggest any diplomatic progress. So I think and it's also kind of turned on the whole issue of Hormuz, which of course didn't even exist before the conflict started.
So I think at this six-month period, this is a real kind of moment of truth for the administration. It was rather, amazing to see General Caine basically saying we're out of military options at this point.
MICHAELSON: Christopher Hill, who's worked for both Democratic and Republican presidents, five time U.S. Ambassador, including Ambassador to Iraq. Thanks so much for sharing your insights to start us off on this Friday night/Saturday morning.
A big Democratic rally in Michigan late Friday night for senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. He along with his fellow Democrats, trying to unite the party after a tough primary battle. Among those in attendance, potential 2028 presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PETE BUTTIGIEG, FORMER U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We know what it is we're actually for, and we're ready to invite people to join us in a powerful majority to make that real.
ABDUL EL-SAYED, MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE: Now, I'm up against a guy named Mike Rogers. And Mike Rogers, well, he's decided that he wants to focus on my name, my 11 letter first name. Now, Mike, I'm just going to remind you, if you don't know how to say the name, keep the name out your damn mouth.
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MICHAELSON: El-Syed is facing Mike Rogers as he just said there. They're trying to win the seat held by Democrat Gary Peters who's retiring. Mike Rogers reaching across the aisle trying to encourage democrats to vote for him.
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MIKE ROGERS, MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN SENATE NOMINEE: The vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence, and the views that are out of touch with your values. Well, you have a home with us. The fight is far greater than just left versus right. The fight is for the very soul of our nation.
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MICHAELSON: We are waiting for a vote out of Washington. This is a live picture right now from the United States Senate where they clearly are working late. It's after midnight there, and they are still taking votes.
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Right now, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have enough votes to be confirmed. That vote could happen at any time. And when it does, we will bring it to you live. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said he will support Blanche's nomination for Attorney General. And that means with Cassidy's support, Republicans now have a clear path to confirm Todd Blanche. That is despite losing the support of two other Republican senators.
Joining us now to talk about that on "The Story Is" for the first time, our political panel, Republican Mimi Walters used to represent Southern California in Congress, and gem Democrat Jake Levine just ran for Congress. He worked on climate issues for both the Obama and Biden White Houses. Welcome both of you to "The Story Is" for the first time.
Congresswoman, let's start with you and talk about Todd Blanche. They seem to get the votes, just enough votes to get him there.
MIMI WALTERS, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Well, Senator Cassidy is saving the day, and I applaud him because I know he has a history with the President, and it's not a positive history. And he is doing what he believes is right for the country by giving his support to Todd Blanche. And he is putting his personal feelings aside as he should, and I'm grateful for that.
MICHAELSON: Let's listen, to some of Bill Cassidy talking about Todd Blanche.
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BILL CASSIDY, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: A never ending cycle of prosecuting political enemies undermines the rule of law, degrades the public's trust in our institutions, and makes our politics more extreme. I'm not entirely satisfied where this is, and I have no doubts that I'll have concern in the future.
LISA MURKOWSKI, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: When there are decisions that I have to make, that I believe are in Alaska's best interest. I will stand up for those, despite, where the President may or may not be.
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MICHAELSON: So that last person we heard there was from Lisa Murkowski, the Republican Senator from Alaska who is not voting for Todd Blanche. But what do you make of Bill Cassidy who, as the Congress member said, had every reason that he could vote against the President? He'd been primaried by the President. He's losing his job because of the President and yet is still supporting the nominee.
JAKE LEVINE, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: Putting all of that to the side, what is so unbelievable about this decision is that we've seen this movie before with Cassidy himself.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
LEVINE: When you think back to the nomination and confirmation of RFK Jr., where in that context, Cassidy, a doctor, was given assurances by RFK Jr. about vaccine funding, about Independent Advisory Council and recommendations. Those rec -- those commitments were not kept. And now he is saying, well, with forward-looking commitments from Todd Blanche, that's enough for me when we already have a record that Blanche has provided that is in and of itself disqualifying. Whether you look at Epstein or the IRS deal or the J6 reparations, these are part of an existing record, and we should be questioning those rather than forward-looking commitments that are unreliable.
MICHAELSON: Do you trust Todd Blanche and you think he's the best person to be Attorney General?
WALTERS: I do. And I trust the fact that this is who the President wants to have as Attorney General, and we have to respect this is the President's decision, and we have to respect that.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. Of course, Congress does have the advice and consent role in the United States Senate. Let's talk about where Congress is, at because both of you obviously know Congress so well. I've spent so much time thinking about Congress. The President doing an interview with Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman. Their whole business model is focusing on Congress. And so Jake, talk to the President about the leaders of Congress, John Thune, the Senate leader, and Mike Johnson, the Republican leader of the house, the speaker. Here's some of their conversation.
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JAKE SHERMAN, PUNCHBOWL NEWS REPORTER: Do you want Thune to serve another term as leader? Do you think would you support him?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I don't want to get into that necessarily, but --
SHERMAN: Why? A lot of people are thinking about it. This is a big issue.
TRUMP: I get along with him. It's unfortunate that he doesn't have the vote.
SHERMAN: Because you actually get along with him?
TRUMP: I do.
SHERMAN: But you clearly dis -- I mean, you have big disagreements.
TRUMP: I do. I do have disagreements.
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MICHAELSON: That's what he said about Thune. He had nicer words to say about Mike Johnson. How do you read that?
WALTERS: Oh, well, you just never know with the President. I think Senator Thune, has a very difficult job, and he counts the votes. And I know the SAVE America Act is a very important piece of legislation for the President. And Senator Thune just, he doesn't have the votes. And if the President can help him get the votes, then he'll get there. But he is a very difficult, difficult job.
MICHAELSON: But Thune was able to get the votes for this nomination of Todd Blanche. I mean, he has come together for the President in multiple instances as well.
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LEVINE: Yeah. I mean, look. I think with all due respect to the Congresswoman, I think this attitude that we hear from the Republican Party so much and from Republican leadership so much is if the President wants it, there is a -- that's a -- yes, blind faith even in the face of unprecedented corruption, self-dealing. We just your segment on the Iran war speaks for itself, the way in which that has been so badly mismanaged from every possible aspect. And so when there is an opportunity to use what little leverage they might have, it's imperative that everybody in the U.S. Congress stop and say, wait a minute. We are a coequal branch of this government. We do not allow the executive branch where I served in two administrations to do whatever the hell it wants. There's got to be some check and balance. If Thune, can't get the votes on the SAVE Act, then maybe that's one shred of a check, but it doesn't feel so much. It's political.
WALTERS: Well, I would argue that every President has the ability to do executive orders. And whether you're a Republican President or a Democrat President, they all exercise executive orders. So it can be said the same thing for the Democrat side as it can be said for the Republican side when it comes to presidents.
MICHAELSON: The President, talked also about what would happen if there's a democratic house. Right now, there's a republican house. Polls seem to indicate there's going to be a democratic house. Here's how he thinks he would handle it.
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JAKE SHERMAN, PUNCHBOWL NEWS REPORTER: Johnson says has said in the past, if Republicans lose the house, it'll be the end of the Trump presidency in some degree.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well --
SHERMAN: To some degree.
TRUMP: Yeah. To some degree. Still have tremendous have great blocking power, so they won't be able to do anything. In other words, they won't be able --
SHERMAN: You can beat off, right?
TRUMP: No. No. I have great block. I'm a great blocker.
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MICHAELSON: Apparently, an offensive lineman in football, I guess. I don't know. Did interpret that?
LEVINE: He may be referring to his mandate to, make sure that no one complies with a subpoena. But look, what the Democrats need to do, of course, is exercise the use of the oversight authorities and committees that they have, judiciary oversight. What I would like to see Democrats in Congress do is take every single policy committee and make sure that those policy committees double as oversight committees where you have energy and commerce looking into the grift on the offshore continental shelf, canceling wind deals and putting that money into oil and gas deals, no doubt for Trump's donors and associates.
We saw Jared Huffman did this a little bit with America 250, and it's a brilliant model, and it is one that can add an oversight power and build a record and bring the issue to the American people, because President Trump might be able to block a subpoena, but he can't block the American people. And that's what we're seeing across this country.
MICHAELSON: What do you see as the stakes of this election and the difference between a Republican and Democratic house?
WALTERS: Well, I mean, if the Democrats take control, you're going to have, Trump won all over again when the Democrats took control in 2018. You're going to have the same thing. It's going to be trying to impeach him again. It's going to be trying to go after him. I mean, nothing is going to get done. It's going to be the same playbook as it was. And I think that the Republicans, in order for them to maintain control of the house, they've got to talk to the voters. They've got to make the voters see the difference between them. And especially the DSA on the set on the Democrat side, the rise of the socialists on the Democrat side. That is really quite frightening. And if republic -- and if the Republicans can get that message across, I think the Republicans will be successful in holding the house.
MICHAELSON: We will talk more about DSA, what's happening in Michigan when you both join us next hour. Mimi Walters, Jake Levine, thank you both for being here tonight.
The U.S. intelligence believes that Russian President, Vladimir Putin could try to test NATO's resolve in the years ahead. Three sources familiar with intelligence reports say that U.S. officials believe that he could launch a limited hostile action against a NATO country. It could range from a cyber-attack to a small scale incursion without necessarily crossing the threshold for a full response from all NATO countries.
The goal would be to test NATO's commitment to Article 5, which says an attack on one member is an attack on all, something we talked about with Christopher Hill a short time ago, what's happening now in Mecca. One source says that the most likely targets would be Baltic countries or Poland. Ukrainian drones have been zeroing in on Russia's top online retailer in recent weeks as Kyiv tries to bring the hostilities closer to home for Russia. As Fred Pleitgen reports, Moscow is responding with what appears to be a tit for tat approach.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Russian drones allegedly hitting a warehouse in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, as well as a railway facility Moscow claims is linked to Ukraine's military.
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Russia's army is drastically expanding drone strike on Ukraine's logistics and infrastructure. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to regain battlefield momentum shaking up his general staff. For the first time ever, appointing a coordinator for drone warfare. Everybody knows well that we decided to create a new branch of the armed forces, the unmanned systems forces, he says. The goal was to find a person who had proven himself in the best possible way in this role.
Putin also ramping up missile strikes. A recent nighttime aerial blitz targeting Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killing 17 people and destroying several warehouses. Ukraine's President saying a shortage of U.S. made Patriot interceptors, exacerbated by extensive U.S. Patriot use during President Trump's war against Iran, has seriously weakened Ukraine's ability to defend against ballistic missiles.
Since the beginning of 2026, Zelenskyy said at a meeting with his General Staff, Ukraine started receiving just a third of the anti- ballistic missiles. Russia's expanded air campaign comes just as Ukraine believed it was turning the tide in the 4.5 year war. Near daily, Ukrainian long distance drone attacks against Russian energy sites and Russia's largest online retailer have taken a toll, Moscow acknowledges.
Russian law severely restricts media from showing the aftermath of Ukrainian drone strikes, but these are some of the places where Kyiv's drones have hit energy sites and warehouses in just the past five days.
PLEITGEN: The war certainly feels a lot closer to home for many Russians these days. A lot of them, quite frankly, are concerned about their safety amid the ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks. But there is also big fear about the state of this country's economy and whether it could sustain long-term damage.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Thousands of small Russian businesses use online retailer Wildberries for sales. And those sales have often dipped so dramatically, some pickup points are shutting down, one owner says.
In order to break even, we need to make 250,000 rubles in profits, but now we don't do it, he says. The last month has been entirely loss making. But so far, the Kremlin is showing no sign of changing course, instead, vowing to continue what it still called its special military operation in Ukraine. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
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MICHAELSON: People in Thailand in mourning after a deadly school shooting there. We'll have a live report on the latest, including what officials are saying about the possible motive. And some troubling signs for the U.S. economy in the latest jobs report. We break down those numbers ahead.
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MICHAELSON: People in Thailand are in mourning a day after the country's deadliest school shooting in recent years. Police say the 14-year-old suspected shooter stormed the school where he was also a student and then opened fire on Friday. five teachers were killed. 30 other people were injured. The boy then shot himself and later died.
An earlier death toll said that three teachers and three students had been killed, but that was actually revised by Thailand's Prime Minister. The Thai leader says stress related to schoolwork may have been a motive in that shooting.
CNN's newest reporter, Gage Goulding is live for us in Hong Kong. Gage, what's the latest?
GAGE GOULDING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Elex, this morning here, we're learning more about the details, those kind of fine nitty-gritty parts of this story, that isn't going to make it any easier to understand because as you said, five teachers killed, more than 30 injured, and that's the focus of the story right now. But the story begins, hours earlier when the alleged gunman here, killed his two grandparents, and we'll get to that here in a minute. But, the video is really what paints the picture here. This suspect, just 14-years-old, storming this school, which has around 3,000 students in it. So it's not a small school by any stretch of the imagination just North of Bangkok.
And you can see in this video here SWAT teams with the long rifles trying to get to the dozens and dozens and dozens of students that were trapped and barricaded in classrooms. There was an interview with one student who said that they teamed up and worked together to try to really just fend for their lives here. And you can see we blurred the children's faces in these videos, but the perilous look on their faces there. They're fighting for their lives in this situation.
Thai leaders have told us that, this is not a career criminal, if you will, which makes it even more difficult to predict something like this. The Thai Prime Minister speaking with reporters, yesterday.
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ANUTIN CHARNVIRAKUL, THAI PRIME MINISTER: This is -- it is a violence, but it is not caused by criminals. It is caused by an individual who had carried a lot of treasures and tensions. This really has nothing to do with security measures in the school.
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GOULDING: And this is the same Thai leader that previously efforted better gun laws in the country after an attack just a few years ago.
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But what he also said was that this attack could have been much worse. They found more than 30 rounds of ammunition, unspent ammunition there as well. So obviously, there was an intent to do a lot more harm. But what's interesting is that the young boy's father telling CNN that he is guilty. He did hurt these people, but he's confused as to why that his son did this and says that he still has not seen his son's body, since this has happened, Elex.
MICHAELSON: Such a sad story and really remarkable to see that body cam footage and watch this whole thing play out second by second. Gage Goulding joining us for the first time. Thanks so much, and welcome to CNN.
Columbia has sworn in a new president. The right leaning Abelardo de la Espriella, has pledged to be tough on crime and drug trafficking, while shrinking the size of the government. His election is in line with a broader right wing shift around Latin America. De la Espirella is a former criminal defense attorney and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. In Friday's ceremony, he pledged to make the safety of his country a top priority.
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ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT (translated): The time has come to restore order, authority, and freedom. In the coming hours, my government will issue a list of narco terrorist groups to provide our glorious security forces with effective tools to confront crime head on. The option of dialogue has been completely exhausted. Authority, dear compatriots, does not end with the capture of criminals either. Under my government, mega prisons will be built to hold those who pose the greatest threat to the people's security.
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MICHAELSON: De la Espriella is the correct pronunciation. My apologies for that. The Trump administration hit 13 Cuban entities and individuals with sanctions on Thursday, accusing them of helping Cuba secure weapons and maintaining links with foreign militaries. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is in Havana.
PATRICK OPPMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: The Trump administration has hit the Cuban government with a new round of sanctions targeting Cuban government entities and officials, some of the military officers. This may be largely symbolic because these are not entities or officials that have any kind of presence in the U.S., any essence in the U.S., but it's a further sign that the Trump administration, specifically Secretary of State Marco Rubi, who is Cuban American, continue to up the pressure campaign against this government, which has included an oil embargo on this island.
There are very few tourists, if any, on the streets at this moment. The island's economy is basically grinding to a halt every day. It's getting harder and harder, many Cubans tell me, to live here, to feed themselves. Power's off most of the time at this moment. The Cuban government has said that they plan, to continue, that they are willing to negotiate with U.S., but they're not make -- going to make any major concessions. And so that is the standoff we're experiencing at the moment.
But Marco Rubio, in a new interview with Axios, has said that he will continue to double down on these sanctions to up the pressure campaign, do whatever it is necessary for Cuba to make political and economic changes, and the harsher sanctions may be on the way. Patrick Oppman, CNN, Havana.
MICHAELSON: Patrick Oppman, thank you. The latest U.S. jobs report is raising concerns about the overall health of the economy. In July, the U.S. unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs. Economists had actually expected a gain of 95,000 jobs. That's what we were talking about last night at this time. Some good news is that the unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent, which is down from 4.2 percent. But a CNN analysis finds that the rate fell, because people just gave up looking for jobs altogether. Report also shows signs that employers are navigating growing headwinds by becoming more cautious when hiring.
Amanda Knox is facing a wave of criticism ahead of her sold out comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Why the family of her murdered roommate is petitioning for its cancellation. We'll take you to England next.
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MICHAELSON: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will give officers body cameras in the weeks ahead. In a statement Friday, I.C.E. said that its agents should have the equipment by the end of September, but it also said the agency will maintain broad control over the release of any actual body cam footage. The statement said that I.C.E. will promptly release video of shootings in which its agents caused death or serious injury, but only after determining whether, "It is in the best interest of the agency." The move comes after several fatal shootings this year by I.C.E. agents.
Amanda Knox, the American student convicted and then later acquitted of her roommate's murder in Italy, is facing a new wave of backlash. She's set to perform a standup comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now the family of her deceased roommate, Meredith Kercher, are calling for it to be canceled.
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CNN's Ivana Scatola has more from Scotland.
IVANA SCATOLA, CNN SUPERVISING PRODUCER: Amanda Knox is now doing standup comedy about the murder case that made her famous. The American woman who spent years in prison before being acquitted of the 2007 murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher is performing here at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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AMANDA KNOX: I'm not the first person to invent using comedy to talk about traumatic and difficult material.
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SCATOLA: The show, which is called cartwheel, is sold out for all 11 days of its run. It's billed as a woman, "approaching 40, juggling motherhood, and finally getting around to being furious about the whole wrongful imprisonment thing, especially when half the world is telling her to get over it while the other half still thinks she's guilty." The show sparked backlash particularly for Meredith Kercher's sister, who told the BBC the case shouldn't be turned into a comedy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE KERCHER, MEREDITH KERCHER'S SISTER: I think in this case, it's a position where it's not a generic topic. It's targeting an individual traumatic case and an individual person and family. And I feel very strongly that Meredith wouldn't agree with that. Our family's pain is immense. I can't explain to you how much pain our family have been through. And also, we're talking two decades later now.
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SCATOLA: There's also a petition online to cancel the show, which has received at least 9,000 signatures. Kercher was found stabbed to death in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia, Italy in 2007. Knox and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of Kercher's murder and sexual assault and spent nearly four years in prison before being released by the appeals court in Perugia in 2011. Italy's highest court acquitted them in 2015. Another man, Rudy Hermann Guede, was later convicted of murder after his DNA was found at the crime scene. He was released in 2021 after serving most of his 16-year prison sentence.
Knox has defended the show saying it's really about motherhood and how one day she'll have to explain everything that happened to her in Italy to her daughter. She also says the show honors Meredith Kutch's memory.
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AMANDA KNOX: I would hope that people will honestly engage with my work and recognize, like, the deep heart and sensitivity that I bring to it.
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SCATOLA: The venue hosting the show, Gilded Balloon, told CNN that as fringe venue, it provides a platform for a wide range of voices, in line with the festival's long standing commitment to freedom of expression.
MICHAELSON: When we come back, my conversation with NBA legend Russell Westbrook about his efforts to give back to the community he credits with his success. It's one of the most amazing stories of an athlete I've ever seen. I hope you stick with us. It's going to be worth it.
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MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching "The Story Is."
Let's take a look at today's top stories. A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Trump is unlawfully constructing a massive new ballroom at the White House. The court said only Congress has the authority to make major changes to the White House. The President said he plans to appeal that decision.
President Trump is doubling down on his efforts to fire Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. CNN has obtained a letter from the White House to Cook's attorney, and gives her three weeks to answer allegations of mortgage fraud. She has denied wrongdoing.
A Georgia father who is behind bars for his son's deadly mass shooting wants a new trial. Lawyers for Colin Gray filed an appeal asking the court to throw out his verdict in sentences. Gray is serving 15-years for his role in his son, Colt's, deadly shooting at a high school in 2024.
Now to a CNN exclusive. One of the greatest point guards in NBA history wants to be remembered most for his work away from basketball. Over the last few weeks, we've gotten unprecedented access to see Russell Westbrook's extraordinary work in the community. This is the first time he's ever participated in a TV profile like this.
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ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russell Westbrook is using his talents on the court to transform his community off the court.
MICHAELSON: What do you see as your role in this community?
RUSSELL WESTBROOK, SACRAMENTO KINGS GUARD: To lead the way.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): The former NBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist is known for playing with passion.
WESTBROOK: The passion just shows up in different ways.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): He's equally passionate about finding unique solutions to help the very same neighborhood he grew up in.
MICHAELSON: What drives you?
WESTBROOK: To impact and inspire others.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Westbrook started a non-profit, a school, a fashion line, and more with one goal.
WESTBROOK: It all stems from community and impact, and that is the focal point of everything. How we doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): For 14 years, he's personally coached thousands of kids at three basketball games. Among coaches here, Russ's own dad on the court at Jesse Owens Park in South Los Angeles.
MICHAELSON: They used to take him to this very park.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yeah. Just where he started at.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): That's young Russ as a football and basketball player here.
WESTBROOK: I've been at this park, since I was 8-years-old, and now being able to come back, 30 years later to be able to do something like this year-after-year. I'm truly blessed.
[00:50:00]
MICHAELSON: This court that Russell Westbrook grew up playing basketball on is now named after him.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Kaylin Minor-Mohammad has been coming to Russ's camp year-after-year since she was 4-years-old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really held my confidence.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): She's now 13, playing on Westbrook's travel team.
MICHAELSON: Has this made you want to be a professional basketball player?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. I kind of dreamed about going to the WNBA.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Kaylin's dad couldn't be more grateful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really something that's needed in our community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three. Why not?
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Russ' non-profit is not going to do why not?
MICHAELSON: What do you mean by why not?
WESTBROOK: Make me feel I can do anything that I put my mind to.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): It's a phrase he first joked about as a high school player. It's become his life's motto.
WESTBROOK: Like, why not us? Why not you? Why not me to be able to do great things?
MICHAELSON (voice-over): The Why Not Foundation funding reading rooms across the country, food drives, affordable housing units, and free mental health care inspired by Nina Westbrook's training as a therapist. Russ says when he was a kid, he didn't even know what therapy was.
WESTBROOK: Not having that resources or even chatting about it is something that, we don't talk about in school.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Therapy now offered for free at the Westbrook Academy. MICHAELSON: I mean, you have your own school. That's crazy. Is that wild?
WESTBROOK: That's crazy.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): A public school aiming to provide kids in underprivileged communities a world class education.
WESTBROOK: When I'm at graduation, they're so connected and so excited. It just brings me so much joy.
MICHAELSON: What's your graduation rate?
WESTBROOK: Last year, we graduated everybody.
MICHAELSON: A 100 percent.
WESTBROOK: Yes, sir.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Russ grew up playing ball down the street from where the Intuit Dome now stands in Inglewood. In less than two years, it will be the home of Olympic basketball.
WESTBROOK: The city, this arena, the people is going to be exciting for LA. I'm excited, especially being a local.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Westbrook now co-chairing efforts by LA's Cleantech Incubator to reduce pollution in vulnerable LA neighborhoods ahead of the games.
MATT PETERSON, CEO, LOS ANGELES CLEANTECH INCUBATOR: And we wanted to partner with someone who leads by example, who's from the community, and there is no better person than Russell Westbrook.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): They recently announced nearly $600 million in investment.
MICHAELSON: How does that feed your soul?
WESTBROOK: Oh, man. It's it keeps me up, honestly, at night to be able to find ways to impact others.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): That impact on display at Russell Westbrook Enterprises. Danelle Beverly is the President here. He played high school basketball with Russell.
MICHAELSON: And when you think of you guys as high school players, could you have ever imagined this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Their business only invests in companies that agree to invest back in their community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we talk about community, it's really about showing versus doing a lot of talking. MICHAELSON (voice-over): RW Digital works with Fortune 500 companies to teach them how to more effectively market to minorities.
MICHAELSON: Also seems like it's showing the companies that the community itself is important.
WESTBROOK: Yes.
MICHAELSON: This is honor the gift here.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Honor the gift is Westbrook's fashion line. He's personally involved in all the design.
MICHAELSON: And looking at the fabrics and --
WESTBROOK: Fabrics, the touching, the filling, the weight, the how it fits, it's all very important.
MICHAELSON: What do you think sets your line apart?
WESTBROOK: It's affordable.
MICHAELSON: And how important is that?
WESTBROOK: It's very important. I feel like I want to be able to have shirts and different designs that connect with people.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. You love fashion.
WESTBROOK: Yes, sir.
MICHAELSON: Where does that passion come from?
WESTBROOK: That started inspired for my mom.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Over the years, Westbrook has modeled a variety of provocative looks often showcasing plenty of skin.
MICHAELSON: Sometimes the -- your eight pack is your greatest attribute. It's like it's part of the story.
WESTBROOK: I work on that too. Mean, everything's a -- everything, if you work on it, you should show it.
MICHAELSON: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. If you got it flaunted as they like to say.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Westbrook personally designed his office space as well.
WESTBROOK: Creative office in the creative space.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): It features basketball inspired art.
WESTBROOK: Growing up in a neighborhood, you get an idea of having different textures of basketball. MICHAELSON (voice-over): And a photo with then President Barack Obama.
WESTBROOK: Is it an achievement what a leader is?
MICHAELSON: That's one of your role models to get more involved in the community.
WESTBROOK: Absolutely.
MICHAELSON: Would you ever run for office?
WESTBROOK: No.
MICHAELSON: No. Flat no. That was fast.
WESTBROOK: Nope. MICHAELSON (voice-over): Last season, Westbrook played for the Sacramento Kings, his 18th NBA season.
MICHAELSON: You're a free agent. A lot of people want to know where you're heading next. How are you thinking about that issue?
WESTBROOK: I don't, honestly.
MICHAELSON: But you want to play next year?
WESTBROOK: I love playing basketball.
MICHAELSON: Yeah.
WESTBROOK: And if it happens, it works, and that's my plan.
MICHAELSON (voice-over): Westbrook is the NBA's all-time leader in triple doubles, but he says the stat he cares about most, his lives and spite.
WESTBROOK: And the legacy is what I've used, which God has given me to be able to help and impact other people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: What a legacy. Our thanks to Russell Westbrook and the entire team for helping us tell their story here on "The Story Is." To find out more about Russell Westbrook's charity work, you can go to whynotfoundation.org.
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Keep it right here on "The Story Is." The construction of the President's Ballroom may now be in jeopardy. Strong reactions from our panel, and you're going to want to hear what Hillary Clinton has to say about all this. Stay with us.
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MICHAELSON: Here in Los Angeles, Netflix is taking promotion to a new level.
